


There must be some misunderstanding...

by 0de



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:34:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22593355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0de/pseuds/0de
Summary: There is such a thing as chaos theory, and Ren knew this very well, what with all the butterflies and weird shit in his life. But the flaps of a butterfly's wings are no match for the theory of "just plain bullshit at this point". Read on as Ren tries to get himself out of a situation with Futaba that only ever came up because he didn't read the fine print his phone gave him.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Sakura Futaba, Kurusu Akira & Sakura Futaba, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakura Futaba
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	1. February 14th - Ren

**Author's Note:**

> The name used for the p5 protagonist here is Ren Amamiya, and this will be a three-chapter fic, twice on February 14th, once from Ren's and once from Futaba's perspective, and once on the day following Valentine's day, February 15th. This fic will be filled with humor, but there will be some light self-deprecation and emotional turmoil, so watch out for that!

Ren Amamiya was rarely seen with phone in hand, and even more rarely was he using the phone to look at anything but a chat with his friends. 

See, it's not that he dislikes the idea of interacting with people he enjoys spending time with outside of conversation, or that he thinks Thomas Eddison was a witch and that the youth of today are preoccupied with their smartphones, he just can't seem to get into it. He used to scroll through Tumblr and Instagram quite regularly before his probation, but after everyone started spreading rumors on there about him and what happened, he decided it would be best to ignore it for the time being. 

That being said, Ren's smartphone was already a few years old at the time of the assault case, and the extra year it had aged since then definitely did not help it's state. It wasn't smashed up, he always kept a screen protector and a case on it, but you could really tell it was "mature" as soon as you tried to perform any action on it, no matter how basic. The battery had gotten so weak that the screen would flash and turn off if it ever got under 50%, which is why Ren kept it charged up well most of the time.

Tonight was not most of the time.

Ryuji had forgotten his charger at home when they all got together after Ren left juvie, and grabbed Ren's just so he can "get a couple percent." He ended up taking said charger home, which now left Ren with quite a predicament. It was 2 am, February 14th, and he had only 60% left of juice on his main communication device. He expected a message from his dearest Futaba, perhaps an invite so he could receive some delicious chocolate. Besides, he would never be caught with his phone dead, lest she worries about him for even a second.

So Ren did what he had never done before.

He turned on the fabled "Battery Saver" mode.

Ren had heard of this magic before, but never experienced it. Maybe, just maybe, this Satanael-sent function of his device might hold him over until he gets his charger back, or at least until he answers any texts that arrive by the time he wakes up.

But nothing can be gained without giving something in return, thus is the law of equal exchange. Battery saver may be able to save his phone from certain demise, but it came with a cost that Ren was unaware of. It killed all background apps that weren't listed as important, which was a list that just so happened not to include his instant messaging application of choice.

Ren faded off to sleep with Morgana by his side, awaiting the morning after and the sweet candy and even sweeter moments with his girlfriend it might bring.

But when Ren turned on his phone screen that morning, he didn't find a message. The screen was blank, only showing the clock and the notification from his alarm that it had been silenced. Ren unlocked the phone, but no dice. Nothing popped up. 

He just glanced up to check the battery percentage the exact moment it shifted from 51% to 50%, and the screen flashed a bright white before shutting off.

Futaba hadn't texted him.

He went downstairs, kind of bummed, but still never one to show it in front of people. Sojiro was washing the dishes, finishing up the final two spoons, which splashed water on his apron. He glanced up at Ren and smirked.

"Got any girls coming over? Maybe a guy? I always see you with a bunch of friends; there's gotta be at least one person in there that was charmed by your mediocre coffee skills."

Just as Ren went to reply with a firm no, and a witty remark about how a student can only ever be as good as his teacher, the bells on the door chimed, notifying them someone was entering the cafe. He looked over, expecting Futaba, but was surprised to see Ryuji instead, looking like he always does when he's not feeling his best, but still wants to look smug in the face of the universe.

"Wassup."

Sojiro did a double take at the boy with the bleached hair, and then looked Ren in the eye with a confused look, seemingly to imply that he judges his choice of a partner, but not because of the sexuality it would imply, but more of in a "Why him of all people?" way.

"Nah boss, we're not like THAT. I love Renren, but my heart is only for the ladies!" explained Ryuji.

"Thank God, I was worried he was messing around with someone who can't even drink a sip of coffee, let alone appreciate the art behind it." joked Sojiro.

"Yeah, yeah, give me a break. I'll drink coffee when I'm old enough to vote." grumbled Ryuji.

"So, Renren. I know why I'm alone on valentine's day, but where's your lucky girl?"

"No clue, I didn't even get a text from her this morning. I hope she's alright." shrugged Ren.

"Oh, so there is someone? You really have to keep me up to date on these kinds of things. I might be an old man, but I've had my fair share of experience that might come in handy for you." Said Sojiro, almost accusingly.

"Man, he doesn't even know yet?" asked Ryuji.

"Yeah, believe it or not, Ren's somehow kept it a secret that he's dating Boss's daughter right under his nose." said Morgana, strolling down the stairs with his usual confidence.

"What'd he say Ren? You know I can't understand him." Sojiro knew Morgana could talk, but to him, they just sounded like meows and chirps still. He always asked whoever was nearest to interpret his noises, with varying degrees of honesty from the inquired party.

"He said 'Good morning Boss, please take us out for sushi today'" replied Ren.

"No I didn't! I can't wait until I find a way to become human, just so I can tell Boss about all the censoring of my speech you guys did!"

"Well little guy, I guess I can grab something for you if you want to come with me to the grocery store. I could always use some company." Sojiro smirked in the feline's direction.

Morgana immediately seemed to forget about all the anger he felt and his eyes widened the way they did when he spotted a treasure.

"A-Alright! I'll see you guys later! Boss, you lead the way!" Morgana said hurriedly, before running towards Sojiro, who was holding the door open for him.

"Don't make a mess here. I'll be back soon." Sojiro shut the door, and the boys were left on their own.

"Now that they've gone their own way, where IS Futaba?" asked Ryuji, looking around him as he did so, seemingly expecting her to pop out from behind the bar.

"I wish I knew too. Maybe she's still mad at me for not telling her I'm turning myself in?" said Ren.

"Could be. I don't think that's the kind of thing people forget rather easily. I'm just glad I'm not spending valentine's completely alone, even if it is with you and not some smoking hot chick." Ryuji said, his tone being both caring and relieved.

"I can't shake the feeling that something is off, though. I feel like I missed a crucial piece of tutorial in a video game, and now I'm going to get a bad ending because of it." Ren was staring at his dead phone, tapping the screen with the tips of his finger in the rhythm of the Super Mario Bros. theme song, as he did often when nervous.

"That being said, did you happen to bring my charger? The one you 'accidentally' took the other day?"

"It really was an accident!", explained Ryuji, "Why would I need two chargers?! Renren, you know I wouldn't do you dirty like that!" 

Ryuji decided to give Ren some fake puppy-dog eyes at the end of the sentence, signifying that somehow he felt betrayal from Ren, even though he was the one doing the stealing.

"But no, I don't have it. I left it in the pocket of my other jeans; I'll get it to you tomorrow."

Tomorrow. Tomorrow was a lot later than now, and now was just about when Ren wanted his phone back on.

"Chill man! Take it easy!", said Ryuji, having spotted the concerned look on Ren's face, "I'm sure Futaba is okay, she probably just didn't feel like hanging out, or maybe she forgot the date or didn't get the chocolate ready in time! I'm sure it will all be alright dude, just don't stress."

Ryuji, despite his many flaws and occasional stupidity, was an amazing friend, and the best friend Ren could ever ask for.

"What do you say we move up to your room and express our disapproval of the female population's actions against us over a couple of rounds of Smash Ultimate?" Ryuji inquired excitedly.

"Okay, fine.", responded Ren, "First one to touch the controller gets to play as me, though!"

The boys both sprinted up to Ren's room, and played and talked until the afternoon grew into night, and Ryuji had to catch his train.

"Hey man, thanks for today.", sighed Ryuji, "This is the first valentine's in a while I didn't spend alone."

"You can always lean on me.", Ren said as he hugged him, "And I know I can lean on you."

The boys said their goodbyes as Ryuji broke into a jog to catch his train, and Ren went into his room, where Morgana had already assumed position on the bed, ready to catch some sleep.

Down the street, in the little cozy-looking house, a girl was crying her eyes out.


	2. February 14th - Futaba Sakura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren never got a text from Futaba, but were things the same on her end, or did some terrible plot device tear their relationship to shreds?  
> Did Futaba text, and if so, why did she end up in tears on Valentine's day? Read on and find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, I've had my own Valentine's day shenanigans going on.  
> Fair warning, this chapter gets VERY sad, and if you are bothered by implied panic attacks, implied cheating, or intrusive thoughts, please read on with caution.

As morning dawned on February 14th, Futaba woke up like she does any other day - groggy, half-dead, and frankly not very well rested. But, as it turns out, today was not like other days, as there is no better wake-up call than the implication of a great time to come.

She was absolutely certain that she would spend this Valentine's Day with Ren and not locked up in her room watching romance anime to fill up the hole in her heart that she desperately tries to deny exists. Sure, every Valentine 's Day is special when you have someone, but for Futaba, this was the first Valentine's in two years that she wouldn't spend terrorized by her own thoughts, and the first Valentine's in her life that she would spend with someone she loved.

As she was getting ready to get out of bed and change out of her pyjamas, she sent Ren a quick text, just to let him know she did want to do something today, and to see what time works best for him. As she did so, she couldn't help but notice the text sat on "sent" instead of "delivered". Oh well, he must not get great reception in that dusty attic, especially considering they're in the backstreets on top of that. She put on her usual day-to-day outfit, made sure her phone volume was up and her data was on and went downstairs to grab some breakfast.

Futaba might not seem like a cereal person, but she very much is a cereal person. Once upon a time, when she was still locked up in her room, a rare source of joy was the sweet taste and crunchiness of colorful cereal pieces. She only eats the fun cereals, as they remind her of her childhood, and breakfast can only be made better with a good dose of nostalgia.

Valentine's day, of course, entails chocolate. And she knew damn well that she didn't want just any regular chocolate, especially since her boyfriend was in juvenile hall up until yesterday. Futaba made sure to order a chocolate container worthy of her Key Item, and what better way to show her love than to have it made in the likeness of their favorite furry companion - Morgana.

It did take a lot of courage to call up the shop, and she knew it would take even more of it to actually pick the chocolate up from there, but she was willing to endure much worse for him, and she knew he would be the proudest boyfriend in the world when he heard how much effort she actually put into his Valentine's gift. She also wanted to surprise him with a never-before-seen outfit, to ensure a one-hit KO on her unsuspecting partner.

But, as she stepped foot outside of the house, she was immediately overwhelmed by a sense of anxiety. Could she really do this? Yeah, she was okay when it was a challenge on her promise list, and she was okay when it was to get him out of juvenile hall, but now that there were no high stakes involved, when the biggest thing to lose was a box of chocolates, she couldn't help but be run over by thoughts of it all not mattering. Her brain kept telling her that the effort wasn't worth it, that she would feel better if she just sat at home and did nothing and that she should cancel all her plans for today to prevent the off-chance of them going terribly wrong.

Futaba was stronger now, though. Putting her headphones on her ears and clamping the headband tighter than usual, she turned up her music all the way as she directed herself toward the Yongen-Jaya train station, and despite the best efforts of her intrusive thoughts, she took the first steps.

And when she started walking, she couldn't help but run.

Picking up the chocolate was no joke, but picking out an outfit was the real boss-monster of this whole endeavor. Not only did Futaba have to walk into a crowded store, she had to pick clothes, try them on, judge her looks, and on top of all that be ready to put back clothes she didn't like and buy the ones she did. One would think it easier to just ditch on this part, meet him in something she had at home and just hope that the chocolate and her presence were enough to woo him. But Futaba knew that if she let herself quit one thing, she wouldn't be able to force herself to pull off any other bit of the plan either.

After an uncomfortably long stretch of time spent staring at her body in the mirror of the changing room, she finally found an outfit that she thought looked perfect. From her time spent with him, Futaba knew that while Joker liked his girls strong and with fighting spirit, Ren liked them as comfortable and as cutesy as possible, and she certainly didn't mind hitting all the bases. What she ended up going with was an oversized pink sweater which had Totoro cross-stitched onto the front and his backside on the back. She paired this up with a pair of boyfriend jeans with patches of stars and the Moon sown onto them, and she planned on wearing a pair of black Converse to match. Overall, she was satisfied with the look, especially since she wasn't a fan of tight tops, and she hoped he would like the outfit as much as she did.

The happiness soon turned into worry though, as it was already mid-afternoon, and Ren still hadn't received the text, let alone read it or replied. She was always prepared to give him the space he needed, but as Valentine's Day passed, she couldn't help but feel sad and worried. On top of the rational feelings, her mind had decided to put a spin of irrationality on it all and jump to the conclusion that he must hate her, that he met someone new and that, in the end, she never really mattered that much.

And like all irrational thoughts do, it slowly started to gnaw on her, and she couldn't help but start to believe what her brain was telling her. Maybe there really was someone else, or even worse, maybe something happened to him. What if the police came and took him back into juvie? What if he had to go home early and couldn't bring himself to tell her? She trusted him, but after the stunt he pulled on Christmas Day, she had to worry.

So, she did what she hated doing most: She called. She took her phone and dialed his number, immediately feeling like a bother and impatient for not just waiting for a text. She quickly shook the feeling off and put the phone up to her ear.

"The number you have called is unavailable. It may be... "

Oh no. His phone is off.

Ren had done many stupid things, but the one thing he would never do is leave her without a way to contact him.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

She bolted out of the house and ran to Leblanc without even putting her shoes on properly. As she approached the corner though, she heard Ren's voice.

She slowed down, and peaking around the bend, saw him there. He was okay. He was alive, he was well, and he was...

With someone else.

Futaba wanted to walk up to him, tell him she saw him and demand an explanation. She wanted him to tell her it was a misunderstanding, or realize it wasn't him after all.

But she couldn't. She was frozen. Paralyzed with fear, and worry, and sadness, and regret, and a thousand other awful emotions that ate her up from the inside until she couldn't help but cry.

And then, just as she was bringing herself back down to Earth from the wretched place her mind takes her, she heard a voice. It was unmistakeably Ren.

"You can always lean on me." he said, "And I know I can lean on you."

For the first time in what felt like forever, the irrational part of her brain was right. There was someone else. There was another person Ren would rather spend time with on Valentine's Day, and she really didn't matter at all.

She was, no doubt in her mind, better than Futaba could ever be. She could imagine this new girl in her head, with a better body, sharper wit, and a level of physical and emotional intimacy she couldn't provide him.

Maybe he was better off.

No, he certainly was.

As she saw him go back inside the cafe and flip the sign to "Closed", she felt her knees give out. She stumbled her way back to her and Sojiro's home, fumbled through the front door, and ignored the old man when he attempted greeting her. She bolted up to her room, locked the door, dropped into her bed, and cried until she couldn't feel her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got a lot sadder than I expected it to before sitting down to write it. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it on time to post on Futaba's birthday, but either way, happy birthday to the best girl! She's not in her best shape in this chapter, but spoiler alert, everything will get sorted out in the next one, as they finally confront eachother about this combination of terrible plot devices and idiot plot.

**Author's Note:**

> Whew! This was a blast to write so far, and I hope you guys like it. I'll update soon enough!  
> Any criticism or praise is appreciated in the comments, and tell me if you have any complaints or ideas on how to improve my writing or the way I write these characters.


End file.
